Razer has announced the new Blade 14, the first in the series of thin-and-light gaming laptops to come equipped with an AMD processor. However, this is not just another sleek gaming-centric machine. Instead, Razer is pitching it as the ultimate AMD laptop for gamers and is even calling it the "world’s most powerful 14-inch gaming laptop." Those are some tall claims, but the Blade 14 definitely has some powerful innards packed in a slim profile, making it an appealing package overall.
Starting with the internals, Razer has equipped the Blade 14 with an unlocked AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor based on the 7nm process and AMD’s Zen 3 architecture. This 8-core processor offers a peak clock speed of 4.6GHz. In addition, Razer has armed the device with up to a GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, the flagship mobile graphics engine in the Nvidia portfolio. The powerful CPU and GPU combo is paired with 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD.
Razer’s claims of the Blade 14 being the most powerful 14-inch gaming laptop are true, to an extent. For example, take two other 14-inch gaming laptops - the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 and Acer’s new Predator Triton 300 SE. The Asus offering goes up to AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU, while the Acer device packs a quad-core Intel Core i7-11375H processor and maxes out at an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card. In the AMD gaming laptop ecosystem, the closest rival would be the 15.6-inch Dell Alienware M15 Ryzen Edition R5. This one is powered by the same AMD Ryzen 5900HX CPU as the Razer Blade 14, but the graphics options on the table only go up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 GPU.
There's More To The Blade 14 Than Just Brute Firepower
Raw firepower is not the only area where the Razer Blade 14 aims to establish itself as the best 14-inch gaming laptop out there. The latest Razer machine flaunts a svelte profile that is only 16.8mm thick and takes design cues from the Razer Book 13 productivity laptop. The chassis is made out of T6-grade aluminum with an anodized finish, and weighs only 1.78 kg. In comparison, the Acer Predator Triton 300 SE and the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 utilize a base made out of plastic and are thicker than the Razer Blade 14. Despite the thin bezels, Razer has managed to fit a webcam in, as well as IR sensors for Windows Hello unlock. The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, on the other hand, sacrifices the webcam to keep the bezels slim.
There are a few additional perks that help the Blade 14 stand out. For example, Razer has been generous with port selection on its latest gaming laptop and has equipped it with a pair of USB Type-C and USB Type-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 port (that supports up to 4K output at 120Hz), a 3.5mm headphone/mic combo jack, and a separate charging port. For comparison, the M1 MacBook Pro only offers a pair of USB Type-C ports. Razer has also fitted the Blade 14 with a 14-inch QHD (2560 x 1440) display with a 165Hz refresh rate akin to the Blade Pro 17, but there’s also a lower-end configuration with a 144Hz FHD panel. Both the Acer Predator Triton 300 SE and Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 offer screens that max out at a 144Hz and 120Hz refresh rate. Of course, Razer is also throwing in the proprietary Chroma tech for per-key RGB lighting controls, while the speakers flanking the full anti-ghosting keyboard deck offer THX Spatial Audio tuning for a more immersive listening experience.
The Razer Blade 14 is definitely one of the most capable 14-inch gaming laptops that money can buy right now. However, all that raw firepower crammed into a stealthy metallic build comes at a steep asking price. The base variant, rocking an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU, will set buyers back$1,800. As for Razer's highest-end configuration, packing an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, get ready to shell out an eye-watering $2,800.
Source: Razer